CLAREMONT, Calif. -- The George Fox men's tennis team battled against a nationally ranked opponent in Claremont Mudd-Scripps, but dropped the match, 1-6, after picking up two doubles victories.

How It Happened
The game, originally scheduled for Friday morning but shifted to Thursday night due to weather, was the biggest match of the year for the Bruin men. Starting out in doubles, Fox kept it close against the Stags' doubles teams. On court one, Camden Camacho and Vahag Pashayan picked up a huge win over their Stag opponents, winning 6-3. Lars Schmassmann and Hunter Fujimori also got a win in their doubles match, 6-4. With the two doubles wins Fox went into the singles match-ups with the lead, 1-0. 

Going into the singles, the Bruins knew it was going to be tough competition. Eli Mizerski faced off against the number-one-ranked singles player in Advik Mareedu. In the most challenging D-III match of his young career, Mizerski was unable to grab the win and lost, 6-1, 6-0. Vahag Pashayan was also playing a nationally-ranked opponent in No. 38 Matthew Robinson, losing, 6-4, 6-2. Austin Stone battled to keep it close against his opponent but fell, 6-0, 6-4. Camden Camacho and Hunter Fujimori both fought hard but were unable to grab the wins in their singles matches, losing 6-3, 6-3, and 6-3, 6-1 respectively against one of the premier teams in the country.

Coach's Thoughts
"We definitely played some of the best doubles of the year. I thought we fought and played with great energy." Bruin head coach Jeff Cero said, "Singles was a different story; to their credit, they came ready to fight after doubles, and it showed from top to bottom. We also played an unadjusted game, and cost is a good amount of points. A lot of good learning points for sure, and hopefully we can get our next match in with the weather." 

What It Means
Fox drop to a 4-4 record overall and the Stags are now 7-2 on the season.

What Comes Next
The Bruins will continue playing in the Stag-Hen Invitational tomorrow, where they will face off against either Gustavus Adolphus or Trinity. The time of Friday's match is TBA.